There are all kinds of pills and dangerous drugs that can make young people get high in a dangerous hurry. But a new kind of pill could have begun to take hold in Pennsylvania. Four teens from Council Rock High School near Philadelphia have been hospitalized for possible overdoses, according to the Fox affiliate in Philadelphia. Teens and students overdosing on something isn't always new or shocking, but this time the cause might be different. "Snurf pills" are labeled as the cause of the boy's condition, which has left parents and officials trying to figure out what snurf pills even are.

The four students bought a package of small pink pills on the Internet, pills that were labeled "Snurf." Whatever snurf pills are, they caused four 10'th-grade boys to be taken to St. Mary's Hospital by an ambulance. Three got transferred to a children's hospital later on while the other was released.

Officials have tried to research what snurf pills are, finally sending out a press release Monday. It said "From the information on the packaging, we understand that SNURF is an herbal supplement with mood altering properties. We strongly recommend that anyone in possession of these pills dispose of them immediately."

The Council Rock District Superintendent, Mark J. Klein, said that officials "did the Google" and looked up what snurf pills really do. Snurf pills are available on the Internet through herbal dealers, though it really consists of pure dextromethophan, a.k.a DXM. This is an element in many cough syrups, as DXM can become an hallucinogen if taken in large doses. Snurf pills seem to make that a more likely occurance.

According to Klein, the students felt this effect "almost immediately" after taking the snurf pills. However, the students were not in a dangerous high, they were just very sick. Snurf pills seem to just make the users violently ill, though not in a life-threatening manner. At least not in the case of these four youngsters.

Even the DEA has not heard of snurf pills, so it is not clear whether it is a controlled substance. // Associated Content


Publication date: 09 September 2008   

Source: Associated Content

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